The missions’ transformation from crumbling curiosities to an internationally acclaimed World Heritage site could not have happened without The Conservation Society of San Antonio. Our efforts began just two years after the organization’s founding in 1924. Members purchased the doors to the San José Granary to save the bronze medallions from souvenir hunters. Soon, the Society found itself invested in a decades-long effort to preserve and restore the buildings and lands of San Antonio’s southern Missions, including the San Jose granary itself, the Espada aqueduct and dam, the San Juan acequia, and acres of mission farmlands.

In 1941, the Society brokered the establishment of a state park at San Jose Mission with the Catholic Church.  We proved critical to the creation of the Missions National Historical Park in 1978, and in 2006, we organized the UNESCO World Heritage nomination that led to inscription in 2015.

See below for a detailed chronology of the Society’s contributions towards preserving the mission structures and elevating their cultural status. Or, view our Virtual Exhibit showcasing the history of the missions with historic materials from our library.

“The San Antonio Conservation Society has always, since its 1924 beginning, taken on some seemingly impossible roles for maintaining the historic sites, structures, and history of Texas. In 2006, the Society took on one of those seemingly impossible goals – the World Heritage designation for our five San Antonio Missions. . . But, I want to thank some very important people in this Society who have been involved in continuing our quest – first – Paula Piper, who has been with the working team for this whole nine years. . . I thank the four presidents and their boards who have stayed with the World Heritage project – Marcie Ince, Rollette Schreckenghost, Nancy Avellar, and Sue Ann Pemberton, [FAIA]. . . You can all thank each other for your faith and funds in this latest project . . . It has been an experience that not a single one of us will forget.” – former Society president Virginia Nicholas to the Society’s Board of Directors, June 17, 2015.